1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a synthetic pile fabric having fur-like appearance.
2. Description of the Related Art
A natural fur comprises so-called guard hairs which are longer hairs and so-called down hairs which are shorter hairs and exist in cluster under the guard hairs. The guard hairs mainly protect animal bodies, while the down hairs insulate the body. The appearance and feeling of the fur depend on properties of the guard hairs. Although each hair of the fur looks thick, it is flexible and smooth since it has such a shape that its center portion is thick and it is tapered towards its tip.
As substitutes for the natural furs, artificial furs are made from synthetic fibers, particularly from pile fabrics since the pile fabric has a similar structure to that of the natural fur. Pile parts of the pile fabric are composed of guard hair-like fibers optionally together with down hair-like fibers. To produce the synthetic furs close to the natural furs, various attempts have been made. It was proposed to provide a synthetic fiber having a thicker center portion and a tapered tip portion. For example, Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 16910/1982 discloses a process for producing such synthetic fiber with a pulsation spinning technique, and Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 148961/1981 discloses a process for producing such synthetic fiber comprising partly dissolving the fiber end with a solvent.
However, when the artificial fur is fabricated with using the synthetic fibers produced by such conventional processes as the guard hair-like fibers, the fabricated furs may not have properties similar to the natural furs or may be expensive.